Fire apparatuses commonly include aerial assemblies that facilitate accessing elevated or distant areas from the ground. Aerial assemblies typically include ladder assemblies having multiple telescoping ladder sections that may be extended and retracted relative to one another to increase or decrease an overall length of the ladder assembly. Ladder assemblies are typically pivotably coupled to a turntable using an actuator that facilitates raising or lowering the ladder assembly. The turntable is rotatably coupled to a chassis of the fire apparatus, facilitating rotation of the ladder assembly about a vertical axis. Through each of these actuation mechanisms, the end of the ladder assembly can be manipulated throughout a large working area to reach various points of interest (e.g., an individual drowning in a river, a window of a burning building, etc.).
To facilitate control of the aerial assembly, fire apparatuses conventionally include a control console fixed to the turntable. The turntable includes a platform on which operators can stand while using the console. The platform may also facilitate access to the ladder assembly. Multiple factors impact the placement of the control console relative to the platform. In order to maximize operator comfort when using the control console, it is desirable to position the control console at a certain height (e.g., at waist height). However, the overall height of the fire apparatus when traveling is limited by governmental regulations and the vertical clearance of certain areas (e.g., garage doors, bridges, etc.). Due to the proximity of the platform to the top of the fire apparatus, the height of the control console is limited to prevent increasing the overall height of the vehicle. Accordingly, operator comfort may be sacrificed in order to maintain the height requirements of the fire apparatus. Additionally, the control console requires valuable floor space on the platform which could otherwise be occupied by operators, equipment, or a portion of the ladder assembly.